The present invention relates to an apparatus for recording and reproducing data using an optical disc as a recording medium.
Conventionally, data recording and reproducing apparatus using MO (Magneto Optical disc), CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable), CD,-RW (Compact Disc-Rewritable), DVD-RAM (Digital Versatile Disc-Random Access Memory), and so on as a recording medium, have existed as data recording and reproducing apparatus using an optical disc as a recording medium.
These conventional data recording and reproducing apparatuses are capable of recording data on a recording medium as well as reproducing data from a recording medium, and may employ different processing speeds for data reproduction and data recording in consideration of a higher reliability of data recording, an increased transfer speed for transferring data to a device associated with reproduced data, and so on. Generally, since data recording is less reliable than data reproduction, the data recording speed is typically set lower than the data reproducing speed.
For example, some data recording and reproducing apparatus using CD-R and/or CD-RW as a recording medium may set the data reproducing speed higher than the data recording speed. Such a data recording and reproducing apparatus, when receiving a recording instruction from an associated device such as PC (Personal Computer), AV (Audio Visual) device, or the like, performs recording processing by starting a program for executing only the recording processing, so that it cannot perform reproduction processing. Conversely, upon receiving a reproduction instruction from an associated device, the data recording and reproducing apparatus performs reproduction processing by starting a program for executing only the reproduction processing, so that it cannot perform recording processing. Thus, data can be reproduced at the reproducing speed higher than the recording speed since the recording processing need not be taken into account during the data reproduction.
On the other hand, a data recording and reproducing apparatus using MO or DVD-RAM as a recording medium, unlike the above-mentioned data recording and reproducing apparatus, starts a program capable of executing both recording processing and reproduction processing upon receiving a recording instruction or a reproduction instruction from an associated device such as PC, AV device or the like, for the recording processing or the reproduction processing. When a recording instruction and a reproduction instruction are received as required at any time, as is the case with this data recording and reproducing apparatus, not only data recording processing but also data reproduction processing must be performed at a recording speed lower than a reproducing speed since it is unknown when a recording instruction or a reproduction instruction is received. This is because an improved reliability of data recording processing must be given a higher priority than an increased transfer speed for transferring reproduced data to an associated device or the like, and if the recording processing is performed at the reproducing speed higher than the recording speed, the data recording reliability is likely to be degraded.
As described above, conventional data recording and reproducing apparatus can accept a recording instruction and a reproduction instruction as required at any time, but cannot perform the reproduction processing at a reproducing speed higher than the recording speed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for recording and reproducing data, which is capable of accepting a recording instruction and a reproduction instruction as required at any time, and avoiding data reproduction processing unnecessarily performed at the same speed as a recording speed which is lower than a reproduction processing speed.
Representative constructions of the data recording and reproducing apparatus according to the present invention which achieve the above object are set forth below.
In a data recording and reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing data while controlling the rotation of an optical disc, recording disabled state determining means is provided for determining whether or not the optical disc is in a recording disabled state, wherein the data recording and reproducing apparatus controls the rotation of the optical disc to increase a rotational speed of during reproduction processing higher than the rotational speed during recording processing to reproduce data, when the recording disabled state determining means determines that the optical disc is in the recording disabled state.
Also, in a data recording and reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing data while controlling the rotation of an optical disc, control means is provided for comparing a first time period required for the reproduction processing when data is reproduced while a first rotation control is performed for the optical disc with a second time period required for the reproduction processing when data is reproduced from the optical disc while a second rotation control is performed for the optical disc to select the first rotation control for reproducing data when the first time period is shorter than the second time period, and to select the second rotation control for reproducing data when the second time period is shorter than the first time period.
Further, in a data recording and reproducing apparatus for reproducing and recording data while controlling the rotation of an optical disc in response to a reproduction instruction and a recording instruction issued from an associated device, control means is provided for selecting a first rotation control or a second rotation control for controlling the rotation of the optical disc based on the amount of data to be reproduced in response to the reproduction instruction, and for controlling the data recording and reproducing apparatus to perform the selected rotation control to reproduce data.
With the constructions described above, the data recording and reproducing apparatus of the present invention can accept a recording instruction and a reproduction instruction as required at any time, and can increase a transfer speed at which reproduced data is transferred to the associated device.